Monday, December 21, 2009

No weekly menu this week since we'll be at Matt's family's for the holidays with a different Christmas celebration everyday. Fingers crossed for no lake effect snow for our journeys. So, today we'll finish off this year's 8 Weeks of Cookies instead.The last cookie for our cookie tray this year is actually a repeat from last year. It was definitely the most popular cookie from last year so I had to make sure we had it again this year. This little bite-sized cookie is full of the flavors of molasses, allspice, cardamom & cinnamon then we dip it in chocolate that is spiced up with a little cayenne. This recipe makes 240 cookies, which seems like a lot but they are only 1/2-inch pieces & totally addictive!

Put the molasses & butter into a saucepan & heat over low heat until the butter is melted. Pour into a large bowl & let cool to room temperature.

Beat the egg into the cooled molasses & butter. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, cardamon, allspice & pepper. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, incorporating each addition completely before adding the next. Cover the bowl & chill the dough for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Roll the piece each out into 10-inch lengths. Cut each length into twenty 1/2-inch pieces. Place the pieces 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 -12 minutes until the sides of the cookies are firm & the bottoms lightly brown. Cool completely

Mix the cayenne into the melted chocolate. Dipped the cooled cookies into the melted chocolate coating about 1/2 of the cookie. Place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens.